Chapter Chapter XIX
A loud ringing in my ears kept me from being able to hear anything, the smoke in my eyes was starting to sting and I could feel myself bleeding from somewhere. I blinked again trying to look for Cameron. I could see him, a shadow halfway across the rubble, crawling to get to me. I tried moving to get to him but cried in agony when I felt more blood trickle down my leg. I was angry after that, angry that this was the second time I’d been in a situation like this. Yet another friend had also been dragged into the mix and I was frustrated that they kept getting hurt because of me.
Cameron kept calling out my name.
“I can’t move, my leg is stuck under something.”
“Don’t move, I’m coming to get you!” He yelled back, obviously not hearing me say that I couldn’t move anyway. After five minutes of navigating through the rubble and fire he finally reached me.
“Can you move?” He yelled out to me over the noise of the raging fire.
“No, my leg is stuck on something and it’s bleeding!” Cameron looked around my leg for the source of the problem and when I felt him freeze, I knew I was going to be stuck here for a while. Pete and Claire were yelling from somewhere behind me so I knew that at least they were okay.
Looking at Cameron again I realised he was bleeding as well, I pulled his face up to mine and inspected the gash on his head. “That’s going to need stitches babe,” I said running a finger around the wound.
“Babe?”
“Oh, um...”
“I like it,” he said kissing me on forehead. Ripping a piece of his shirt off, he tied it around the thigh of the leg that was stuck to restrict the blood flow. I didn’t know how much I’d lost already but I was starting to feel faint. My vision started to blur as I heard sirens blaring in the distance.
“No Isabella, stay with me now.” He coaxed trying to get me to keep my eyes open, but it just felt like someone was pulling them down. “I’m going to kill him for this.” I opened my eyes wide at that comment and looked him right in the eyes.
“There’s nothing you could have done that would’ve stopped this Cameron. This is his plan, he plays games with me until there’s a perfect moment where he can execute his final step. We never know when or what it is.”
“How did this all come about, you still haven’t told me Bella?”
“I mean this is as good a time as any to tell you I guess.” I whimpered as sharp pains started shooting up my leg, the shirt constricting the blood from reaching the area was starting to turn purple. Cameron looked down at it and tried to adjust it. I grabbed his hands and pulled him back up to where he was sitting near my head. “If I must lose my leg Cameron, then so be it.”
I took a deep breath, “The story behind Victor and I began back in England. I was home with my family after just arguing with them about whether I was coming here or not.” A few unceremonious coughs came from my throat. Shaking my head, I continued, “I went outside in the gardens to let off some steam and went probably a little further then I should’ve, Victor popped out of the shadows and tried to rape me. I managed to get away but he threatened to find me and kill me for something my father had done to him.”
The understanding in Cameron’s eyes made me love him even more, “I don’t know what my father has done since he never told me, but he’s King. He’ll make lots of enemies and that’s why I’m so heavily protected.” He nodded and grabbed my hand, his thumb rubbing circles into my palm. It was soothing.
In the time that’d we’d be speaking, I managed to see the flashing lights from outside the gaping hole in the house. “Over here.” Cameron yelled to one of the fire fighters looking for us through the rubble. Once spotted men started rushing forward, a first responder paramedic by the name of Julie as she introduced herself, was the first one to reach me. She tried checking over me but I pushed her away.
“Look after him first, there’s nothing you can do for me until I’m out of this.” She looked at me with concern before nodding her head and moving over to Cameron, he was about to protest when I punched him in the leg. A signal to shut the fuck up and accept the help he was receiving.
The fire fighters came up the rubble and one with a mask on came beside my head, “Where are you stuck?”
“Something is on top of my leg or in it. I can’t drag it out and when I went to the first time I felt blood run down my leg.” He nodded and back away, talking with his colleagues before going and assessing the situation. I put my hand out for Cameron and felt his hand enclose in mine. The same fire fighter came back, “We’re going to cut around your leg and hopefully get everything on top of you out of the way so we can see what’s happening with your leg. It might hurt so please prepare yourself.” I nodded in response and looked above at Cameron, I was scared.
Everything about this was terrifying, why did I deserve this. I didn’t think I did. Why was I being punished for something my father did. Even if he did do something it would’ve been for the good of the kingdom so I couldn’t understand what had Victor so riled up still. Cameron came down and sat beside me, the paramedic now rushing towards where the firemen were starting to use some claw like thing to separate the sheets of metal and the steel framing of the house that had fallen on top of me. I was covered belly button down in rubble from the explosion.
The screaming began when the saw came into contact with the metal around my leg. Cameron scrambled beside me as I cried into his shoulder. The pain was unbearable I thought I was going to faint, but it was over as quickly as it started.
I could see the bottom half of my body and god was my leg in bad shape. Pete appeared above my head blocking the view of the sun from my eyes. Getting on his knees he kissed me on the forehead. “You’ll have to go into surgery again Princess.” I sighed, the pain evident in every move or sound I made.
I was being lifted, with the piece of metal still stuck in my leg, onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. After that I don’t remember a thing.
Eight weeks had passed and it’d been horror all over again expect this time I’d say the pain was more a fifteen out of ten and my broken leg had been more of an eight out of ten. Getting around the house was excruciatingly hard not to mention school when I had to go back after three weeks. Lucky, I had the help of my best friend and Cameron. I’d gotten a moon boot this time though not a cast, so this one could come off, but not for long.
But today was the day I was finally going back to the hospital and having a check over to see if I was a-ok. I could walk perfectly fine now and the pain was minimal, the doctor had said the pain would be there for two or three months but that was just because I had to build back up the muscle and get rid of the stiffness in the joints.
In that time as well, we’d seen nothing from Victor, no notes, appearances or happy dances in front of us to show that he’d tormented us again. For the second time this year we’d put it out of our minds and tried to move on. My parents got involved after they heard about what happened, since a bomb was a lot bigger than a car accident and they had people out all over the town looking for him.
Jumping into the car, I tried to forget about the things that were clogging up my mind and focus on all the good things happening very soon. Claire, Cameron and I graduated soon and I had convinced mum to let Claire come live with us in England. She was to be my first lady and I couldn’t be more pleased at the idea of having my best friend by my side through my reign. It made the idea of the end of my teenage life or my life in general, a little less daunting.
Since it was Monday, the hospital trip went quick as Claire and Cameron had school. The doctor made a joke about not wanting to see me again and I’d almost choked on the water he’d given me. I had told him I couldn’t promise him anything.
I’d been free to go; my wound had healed nicely and although there was going to be a nice big scar there I relished in the fact that I was still alive. Victor hadn’t succeeded in what I’m sure he was meant to do, which was kill me.
I came back to the house, returned to its former glory as workers had slaved over fixing the back corner of the house where my room was, for six weeks. I’d slept in Claire’s bed dealing with her obstacle course way of sleeping. I heard her voice come from downstairs at the exact moment that I’d been thinking about her and I rushed down to say hello. Her back was facing me which gave me perfect opportunity to sneak up and jump on her.
I ran and jumped, as I jumped Claire turned around and caught me mid-air in a bear hug. We both giggled and she put me back down on the floor. “I’m guessing the doctor had only good things to report then?”
“Yep, he just said he didn’t want to see me back in there again.”
“Let hope you won’t be.” Cameron said walking in the door having heard our conversation. I hugged him as well, him lifting me off the floor and swinging me around causing me to giggle. I planted a kiss on his cheek before he put me down and he bent down and kissed my forehead. I always died a little inside when he did that. He grabbed my hand and we all walked up towards my room where we’d probably all sit there and watch a movie. Chucking our bags down Claire and I went to pick a movie.
“Hey Cam, go get the popcorn and snacks will ya.” Claire said still reaching for movies, avoiding eye contact with me.
“Yeah alright.” He replied gruffly getting off the bed and heading out the door.
“Okay, spill. I know you only got Cameron out of the room so you could tell me something.” I shook my hands in excitement. Claire took a deep breath, her eyes seemed to sparkle, “Guess who asked me out on a date?”
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Seth finally had the balls?”
“You’re telling me Bella, I’ve been waiting for ages now.” Claire and Seth had gotten close over protecting me and just in general talking everyday at school now that we all sat together.
“Well this calls for celebration.” I said reaching underneath my bed and pulling out one of my family’s expensive champagnes. “Why are we being so posh Your Highness,” Claire said with the sparkle growing in her eyes. I narrowed my eyes and continued with her role play, “because my Lady, we are to celebrate the progression of you and Seth.”
We both broke down in giggles, I poured the wine and we sat there with the movie ready waiting for Cameron to come back in.
Not a few moments later his blonde head came around the corner of the door, one hand full of popcorn the other with bags of lollies. Claire and I looked at each other in excitement, these were the best kind of nights that we had now just made a tradition of.
“Oh, we pulled out the wine now did we?” Cameron teased.
“Sure did, now get your butt over here. We have to start the movie.” He ran and jumped on the left side of the bed, Claire was on the right and we started watching the long marathon of movies.
I’d slept fitfully as per usual, but waking up next to a gorgeous tan skinned, blonde haired boy completely calmed my nerves. I turned around in his arms to face him, the light stubble on his face made my fingers feel weird as I brushed them over his face, relishing in how gorgeous this human being was.
I wasn’t prepared though for the shower of kisses he gave me when he realised I’d woken up. I giggled and screamed in laughter for him to stop. He was on top of me now, hair dishevelled and sticking up all over the place. I went to fix it but his lips captured mine instead. I was surprised but soon moulded into him and arched my back up to meet him, gasping when his kisses started to go down my neck. He knew that was my weak spot and I could tell he was playing now. I fisted my fingers in his hair and lightly pulled causing a moan out of his mouth.
He pulled back a grin on his face, “You drive me crazy.”
“So do you darling.” I said crawling out from under him and heading towards the shower. It was time for school and I guess I was going to beat him getting ready since he flopped back down on the bed and closed his eyes.
It didn’t take long for me to get ready, with my wig and contacts Cameron kept complaining that I looked like a completely different person. I kept having to remind him that it was the whole point.
“Okay Claire, how do I look?” I asked walking towards the front door. She didn’t even get to answer because hands slid around my waist and Cameron answered for her, “You look perfect.”
I know I smiled stupidly because Claire looked like she was about to puke.
“Okay but you guys are vomit worthy yet I also want to hold up one of those audience cards that says ‘AWWW’. Now let’s go.” I laughed at her and headed out the door.
“Just think about it guys, we’ve got twenty days till graduation. How exciting is that, no more school ever again.” They both nodded in agreement.
“Let’s do this.”